We asked famous YouTubers what it’s actually like to play video games for a living — here are all the perks and drawbacks that come with the job

Markiplier / Rooster Teeth / Nagzz21 For many people, the thought of playing video games as a full-time job on YouTube or Twitch might seem like a far-off dream, akin to becoming a rockstar or professional athlete.

For others, the very concept of a career reliant on video views and channel subscriptions, like so many "social media influencer," might seem like a quick jaunt down easy street for lazy millennials who don't want to get real jobs.

All this to say: There are a lot of myths and skepticism around what it means to play video games on the internet for a living in this day and age.

But, like any career path, the stories and experiences among the people who make money from YouTube and Twitch are extremely varied. From the types of games they play on-camera to the amount of money they make is unique to each person; no one content creator is indicative of the success of the next. That said, there are definitely some common themes in their stories.

I spoke with a few famous gaming YouTubers about what their jobs actually entail, how they measure success, and what makes them love what they do:

1/

First, the thing we're all wondering about: Money.

Screenshot / YouTube

Yes, it is true that a handful of people have made it really rich by creating a career on YouTube.

Every year, Forbes publishes a list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars, calculated through "data from Nielsen, IMDB and other sources, as well as on interviews with agents, managers, lawyers, industry insiders and the stars themselves." And every year, a good portion of the names on the list are leading gaming-focused YouTube channels.

Tied with Logan Paul for fourth pace on 2017's list is Mark Fischbach (a.k.a. "Markiplier"), who reportedly made $12.5 million last year. Markiplier currently has 19 million subscribers, and is most famous for his commentary during various horror video games, including the "Five Nights at Freddy's" series.

Despite the sometimes-lucrative nature of the job, very few famous YouTube gamers expected to make it big when they started out.

When asked how his life has changed since he achieved internet fame, Fischbach admitted, "Fundamentally, [my life is] not that different than the life I was living before, as I'm still spending the vast majority of my time at home in front of a computer," Fischbach told us.

He did say, though, that playing games on YouTube has changed his general perspective.

"Your horizons expand tremendously when you realize that millions of people are watching what you make," he said. "It's created a very strong sense of purpose for me and pushes me to constantly improve myself to meet ever-growing expectations."

3/

Markiplier's monetary success is, tragically, the exception rather than the rule for most online content creators — professional gamers included.

In the same way that the occasional musical artist is discovered from relative anonymity while many more wait in the wings for their shot at the big time, there is an endless list of gamers who won't make it big, and it's not always for lack of trying.

4/

As anyone who works in online media will tell you, the internet is a fast-moving, ever-demanding mistress, and the average person's media diet in 2018 is... well, insatiable.

The constant demand for new and well-produced video content is one of the most prevalent challenges across all branches of digital media, and is especially difficult for independent content creators, who do much of their filming and editing on their own.

When asked about his daily routine, a VR streamer with more than 140 thousand subscribers who goes by the screen name "Nagzz21" described a hectic schedule that prioritizes much of his time to spending time with his audience:

The mornings usually consist of trying to get to the messages many have left me via social media, Discord, as well as [YouTube] comments. It is almost impossible now to respond to every single one as I have in the past, but reading them all still takes a good chunk of the day. Since I upload a video every other day, editing takes a big chunk during the middle...On top of the editing and messages, I have to fit in streaming....On top of actually playing a game [outside of streaming live] which can take hours, there are many events the community holds in virtual reality... I am invited to many of these, and I make it a point as best as I can to attend them all. Then factor in the other streaming I do, with variety games during the week for live viewers, and I have barely enough time to go get a coffee around the corner for a little fresh air!

5/

However, lack of hours in the day is still an obstacle for the more established personalities with more resources, such as paid editors and production assistants.

Some channels and personalities must rely on backing from separate groups or larger companies, like Rooster Teeth, the Austin-based digital media company that makes animated shows, feature-length films and supports a whole array of YouTube channels dedicated to video gameplay.

"Not having enough time in the day to do everything you want to do can be really frustrating" says Lindsay Jones, a voice actor and cast member at Rooster Teeth's flagship gameplay channel, "Achievement Hunter."

"As a creative figurehead, you want to try and achieve your dreams and make all your ideas come into fruition, but it's physically impossible to do so."

Mark Fischbach, who is backed by Disney, agreed: "The greatest challenge is the never-ending demand for fresh, new content. The world is consuming entertainment on an exponentially increasing scale and there's no end to the hunger for more."

"But for the record I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week on average. I don't do vacations," he added.

6/

Many who choose to pursue careers in gaming on YouTube and Twitch are drawn to the seemingly endless possibilities of alternative and new media platforms. But like any media, creative drive and audience interest don't always line up.

Screenshot from "Uno: The Movie"
Screenshot / Rooster Teeth

"One of the big things that I've had to learn is accepting that it's never going to be exactly what you want it to be," said Lindsay Jones, of Achievement Hunter. "But I find that you're usually going to be pleasantly surprised anyway, especially when you allow yourself to collaborate with people who are there to support you and want to see your dream come to life as well."

In a phone call with Business Insider, Jones said she and her castmates often struggle to predict what sorts of videos — which games to play on camera, particularly — are going to be of interest to their audience, and the games featured in their most successful videos are often not the big name triple-A games.

For example, she says, one of Achievement Hunter's most viewed videos to date is a two-hour, 45-minute, unedited marathon of four cast members playing an online version of the classic card game UNO. At the time of publication, so-called "Uno: The Movie" clocks in at 4.3 million views.

7/

Unsurprisingly, playing video games on Twitch or YouTube can get repetitive.

YouTube Gaming home page
YouTube

There are only so many games and ways to play them, and one of the biggest concerns among gaming content creators is the constant need to "one-up" their previous works and make videos that are continuously bigger and better than before.

"You have to keep churning out bigger and better things lest you fall behind in the perpetual race to stay relevant," Fischbach said.

"With these platforms, viewers want something new, or things to be exciting at all times," Nagzz21 agreed. "Keeping up that trend becomes tiresome and sometimes near impossible."

8/

And what's harder than being a pro gamer? Being a female pro gamer.

It's no secret that the video-game industry, from streaming to esports to development of the games themselves, still struggles with the treatment of women.

YouTube and Twitch, where most professional gamers host the majority of their content, have both made well-meaning (although not always practical) efforts to curb harassment. Just last week, Twitch rolled out a new anti-harassment policy, which tasks the streamer with the responsibility of discouraging abuse in their live chat rooms, and includes a vague dress code that requires streamers to "wear attire that would be publicly appropriate for the context, location, and activity they are broadcasting."

"I can't tell you how many comments sections I've seen, where I'm with my male counterparts in the video and nothing is said about their physical appearance, but it's just railing and railing and railing on my size or how good my hair looks or whether I have makeup on," said Jones.

"Especially when you're a woman dealing with video game play production," she added. "Man, you better know your stuff, and way more than everyone else. Everyone will quiz you on every little detail from a game to make sure you're a true fan, and not a 'poser' or a 'fake gamer girl.'"

9/

However, Jones says the tide is shifting on YouTube and other gaming-centric spaces in favor of more diversity.

Lindsay Jones
Rooster Teeth

Until recently, Jones said, "it seemed like it was almost an accepted thing, that if you're a woman in production, you just have to know that people are going to be misogynistic and that sucks, deal with it. But now, there's so many people coming forward and saying 'Why are we dealing with this?' and working to make a change and it's really exciting."

Jones says she would love to see the corporate powers that be, within YouTube itself, leading the charge toward an online space that is more inclusive and more protective of its creators.

10/

Meanwhile, many of the YouTube gamers I spoke with — and many I didn't —
say they deal with a lot of misconceptions about their work.

"The biggest misconception I've seen is that people seem to assume gaming YouTubers or streamers are lazy or have an easy job," Fischbach said. "The only person I have anything to prove to is myself so I'll just keep working hard at something I thoroughly enjoy."

"There are so many women who come to me and say they're so excited to finally see a woman in a gameplay video," Jones said, describing her experience with the misconceptions around the ever-growing female presence in gaming content. "And I'm honored by that, but I say 'Oh actually there are tons of women doing this. There are thousands of women out there. Let me give you a list."

11/

For many YouTubers and their fans, the platform offers a unique approach to community engagement, despite the well-known abuse of the comments section.

According to Jones and many others, the immediate and constant feedback loop created by social media is what makes this career path so unique. It allows the audience to connect, or at least feel connected, with the creators on a personal level.

"It's so much more intimate than a lot of other fan bases, where the characters or creators are so far away," said Jones.

One of the series Jones regularly appears in with her Achievement Hunter castmates is dedicated to opening fan mail on camera.

"People who watch my content do have the ability to reach me directly, and I do think that is a unique thing that is very recent and doesn't happen with a lot of other major productions," she said. "Back in the day, I could never reach out to Britney Spears in any real and substantial way, but now you can. You can tweet at her and be like 'Hey, what's up?'"

12/

"Nagzz21" said when he first started streaming and was still working a 9-to-5 job, his fan base was small, but they were highly engaged, and they consistently cheered him on.

Nagzz21
Nagzz21

"Nothing was more satisfying than being able to bring this small group entertainment, and allow them to take a break from the stresses of every day life, that we all endure, with a few laughs," he recalled.

"That was my paycheck at first: the ability to provide content for those who wanted or needed a laugh. That continues on today, except my audience is now much bigger. But it is the same concept, and still the same rewarding feeling as I had in the past."

13/

When asked what is the most rewarding aspect of playing video games professionally on YouTube and Twitch, the gamers I spoke with unanimously agreed that their audiences are what make the challenges worth while — and they all seem to genuinely love their jobs.

Lindsay Jones appears alongside her cast mates in a live taping of their podcast at RTX Sydney, Australia.
Screenshot / Rooster Teeth

"There is so much positive response to our work. Getting to meet people at conventions, seeing them cosplay as our characters, having people send me fan fiction that they wrote… The fan base becomes more like a family than anything else," Jones said.

"I'm doing something I love and very few people ever get to say that," Fischbach said.

"It was never about the money, and still isn't nor will it ever be," Nagzz21 said. "I am now however blessed to be able to do this for a living, and I wake up every day grateful and will never take it for granted."